Many products include fastening systems that are used to join different items together, or different portions of the same item together. As an example, a fastening system is typically used to adhere different portions of a diaper together when a diaper is placed onto a child.
Some fastening systems are formed as an adhesive tape that includes a substrate which has a tacky material covering some (or all) of the substrate. The tacky material covers one or both sides of the substrate depending on the type of fastening system.
One drawback with using adhesive tapes to join items together is that the tapes readily stick to unwanted areas which make them cumbersome to handle. As an example, in some fastening systems that are used in diapers, the tacky material can undesirably stick to a child's tender skin.
Another drawback with using adhesive tapes is that the tacky material which is used in many adhesive tapes is easily contaminated (e.g., with dirt, baby powder, etc.). The ability of an adhesive tape to effectively secure items together is reduced as the tacky material becomes contaminated.
Some adhesive tapes try to minimize unwanted sticking and/or contamination of the tacky material by placing a temporary cover over the tacky material. One disadvantage of incorporating a cover for the tacky material is that the consumer needs to perform some labor in order to get the adhesive tape ready for fastening. In addition, the consumer needs to dispose of a cover once it is removed from the rest of the adhesive tape.
Another type of fastening system incorporates hook and loop type elements. These types of systems typically require the hook elements to be on one item (or section) so that they can be secured to the loop elements on another item (or section).
One drawback with using hook and loop type elements is that the hook and loop type elements can be abrasive if they engage items other than each other. As an example, when hook and loop type elements are used in diapers, the hook and loop type elements can undesirably abrade a child's tender skin. In addition, hook and loop type elements are often relatively stiff such that they are difficult to incorporate into many types of products.
One important consideration with many products is the aesthetic appeal of the product. It can be to difficult to integrate either adhesive tapes or hook and loop type elements into many products because the addition of these types of fastening systems often has a negative impact on the aesthetic appeal of the products.